[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] "We reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to North Korea's denuclearization." Foreign Minister Park Jin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed the principle of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at the foreign ministers' meeting held in Washington DC on the 3rd (local time).
After the meeting, Minister Park said at a joint press conference, "This year marks the historic 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," adding, "We will expand the alliance's scope beyond political, military, and economic partnerships to include technology and cultural fields." He emphasized, "Peace without denuclearization is fake peace," and "Our country and the United States will continue seamless cooperation to achieve genuine peace on the Korean Peninsula."
The two countries also agreed on strengthening extended deterrence using all assets, including nuclear weapons, against North Korea's nuclear threat. Minister Park said, "While maintaining a robust combined defense posture, we decided to enhance the effectiveness of extended deterrence," warning, "Any provocation by North Korea will face a resolute and unified response." He also added, "We agreed to fully and thoroughly implement UN sanctions and strengthen efforts to block North Korea's illegal financial flows."
Regarding China, Minister Park stated, "We agreed that China has clear capabilities to influence North Korea's actions and the responsibility to exercise them," and mentioned, "Denuclearization of North Korea is an area where South Korea, the U.S., and China have long cooperated and should continue to do so."
He also said, "To respond to North Korea's increasing threats, we will strengthen trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan," and added, "We discussed continuing to focus on North Korea's severe human rights situation and welcomed the appointment of Julie Turner as the new U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights."
Secretary Blinken emphasized, "Today, we reaffirmed our alliance's commitment to collective defense against common threats," and promised, "We will defend South Korea using all-range assets, including nuclear and conventional weapons and missile defense systems." He added that "We remain committed to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" and will strongly respond to North Korea's threats through expanded trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the U.S., and Japan.
Additionally, Secretary Blinken addressed the issue of China's surveillance balloon, stating, "The first step is to get it out of U.S. airspace." Initially, Secretary Blinken was scheduled to depart for Beijing that night for follow-up talks on the U.S.-China summit held last year, but the surveillance balloon incident led to a sudden cancellation. The U.S. announced that it detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon over its mainland airspace, which appears to be Chinese. The U.S. considers the presence of the surveillance balloon in its airspace a clear violation of international law and sovereignty.
Furthermore, the two foreign ministers discussed the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which has sparked controversy for providing tax credit benefits only to electric vehicles made in North America. They confirmed, "We will cooperate to address concerns of Korean companies and implement the act in a way that benefits businesses and industries in both South Korea and the U.S."
Secretary Blinken explained, "As President Joe Biden said, the South Korea-U.S. alliance is a cornerstone for peace and prosperity in the region," and added, "The new Indo-Pacific strategy announced by the South Korean government last December reflects our shared interests in addressing emerging regional challenges."
The two countries also signed a revised and extended protocol on South Korea-U.S. science and technology cooperation, which includes expanding technology exchanges in all fields such as semiconductors, core technologies, and space.
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